Asia Cup 2018: 3 Indian Batsmen who can score a Double Century in the Tournament
The 14th edition of the Asia Cup will be held in UAE, from 15th September 2018 to 28th September 2018. The six teams participating in the tournament are - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. Hong Kong have made their way into the tournament after defeating the hosts UAE in the finals of the qualifier.
The 16 member Indian team for the tournament was selected on September 1, 2018. India's regular captain, Virat Kohli has been rested, after the long and gruelling English Tour. In his absence, Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian side.
India is going into the tournament with a very strong batting lineup. Except for Virat Kohli, all the other top batsmen are present in the team. The two openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, are expected to score big hundreds in the tournament.
In the absence of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul is expected to bat at Number 3. He is a batsman, who has the capability of scoring big hundreds. India's performance in the tournament will largely depend upon the performance of this top three batsmen.
Scoring hundreds should not be a big deal for the Indian batsmen. But will they be able to score a double hundred? This won't be an easy task in a 50 over match. However, the Indian top order batsmen have the capability to do so. The 3 Indian batsmen who are most likely to get a double hundred in the tournament are as follows.
#3 Shikhar Dhawan (Highest ODI Score: 137)
After his below-par performance in England, Shikhar Dhawan will be keen on getting his form back. And the batting-friendly conditions of UAE, in the upcoming Asia Cup, will be an ideal place for Dhawan to get back to his run scoring ways.
In ODIs, Dhawan has been very consistent in 2018. However, he has failed to convert his good starts into big centuries. This is something that he will try and rectify in this tournament. Since he is an attacking player, it is possible for him to score big hundreds or even a double hundred in the Asia Cup, if he is able to stay at the crease for a longer period of time.
#2 KL Rahul: (Highest ODI Score: 100 not out)
Like Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul also had a pretty poor English tour. However, he ended the tour on a high, by scoring a brilliant 149 in the last innings of the 5th Test. In ODIs, Rahul has not been a regular in the team. So the upcoming Asia Cup is a golden opportunity for him, to show his class and cement his place in the ODI team.
In the absence of Kohli, he will most probably get a chance to bat at the number three position. This will provide him with the opportunity to play more overs and hence score big hundreds.
If Rahul gets going, then he can score as quickly as anybody in the world. He has the unique ability to score quickly as well as to bat for long periods. Thus if he gets going, he is definitely a batsman who can go on to score a double hundred in the Asia Cup.
#1 Rohit Sharma: (Highest ODI Score: 264)
India's captain, Rohit Sharma, already has 3 ODI double hundreds to his name. This is a feat, achieved by no other cricketer in the world. Rohit also holds the World Record for the highest individual score in an ODI. He is one of the best ODI batsmen of the present era.
Once Rohit gets set in an ODI match, he does not throw his wicket away. And he has the unique ability to score quickly without taking any risk. This helps him score big hundreds and double hundreds without getting out.
Hence in this year's Asia Cup, the Indian batsman, who has the highest probability of scoring a double hundred, is none other than, Rohit Sharma.